"...When one knows what to do, there is only little time one needs for doing it. It is only when one does not Know what to do that it takes so much time. And to know what to do is the secret of it all."—Louis I. Kahn. from Heinz Ronner, with Sharad Jhaveri and Alessandro Vasella Louis I. Kahn: Complete Works 1935-74. p158.

Last month I had the sheer joy of experiencing Louis Kahn's Salk Insitute twice in one week. after my first visit eight years ago. As I approached the plaza I couldnt help but be uplifted by this masterpiece, yet again. Perhaps "timelessness" can be real in some places.

On the first day it was close to noon. Not the most ideal time for photography and yet there was nothing to complain about. The sun was shining bright on the travertine plaza, casting its deeps shadows along the hallways and perfectly crafted grooves. The plaza was mostly empty except for few isolated architectural pilgrims and those occasional scientists walking between the two wings. My 2 two year old shrieked in delight as she ran amok in the seeminly unlimited space, unable to resist herself from the sparking stream of cold water bisecting the plaza making its way towards the pacific expanse, the deep blue sky and those many distant horizons.